


Limbo

by moonfox281



Series: 2018 Prompt [6]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angel Dick, Angst and Feels, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Prompt Fic, Reaper Jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 15:48:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15844455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonfox281/pseuds/moonfox281
Summary: Once Dick took the first step on the water, the whole of Limbo bowed, and there he was, standing tall and still. Jason looked straight at him in the eyes, no hiding, no hesitation, in the middle of the bowing crowd, he stayed on his feet with his head held high.Arrogant, but proud. Grim Reapers may be less noble than Angels, but they were never any less powerful.





	Limbo

 

_“…now at the scene of the shooting, 5 men were killed, and a woman was sent to a local hospital approximately one hour ago. The police do have a suspect, and they say they’re closing in on that person…”_

Winter rain always came down the harshest. The air stung with humidity, like mold and day-old bread. When the cars raced over the streets, Dick leaned forward, trying to catch the lines between the high pitch of the sirens.

Busy, this city had always been. Like when night fell, it breached its full strength, like flowers blooming under the sunlight, under the moonlight, the vivid night sky, this city, these people wrote their stories.

Dick didn’t know why he loved watching them, these creatures. He just did, like a born instinct, like spreading his wings or lifting an arm. There shouldn’t be much reason to come to a liking with this kind. Human, they are messy, chaotic, and stupidly arrogant.

Yet, they were Father’s greatest creation.

“You’ve been watching long enough.”

He didn’t turn back, just stared down. From the edge of the rooftop, the city at night appeared oddly beautiful. He shouldn’t be surprised, this city was a popular land in the Underworld community, greater count than any other place in the area, to the point that maybe even the Lord of Hell himself must wonder what in the world these people were doing to each other.

Gotham city was the greatest beacon point in the map of duty for Underworld sacred workers. And Gotham city, this very city, was the base of operations of one grim reaper.

“Angel.” Jason greeted, a bare grunt that sounded like he was inviting Dick down to Hell.

“Busy night?” Dick asked, he didn’t need to look to notice Jason’s mortal disguise. Biker jacket and cargo pants; after decades his appearance had barely changed.

“This place?” He huffed. “Always.”

They stood and watched again in silence. Up here, all the way at the top of Gotham’s greatest skyscraper, everything seemed so lively. Sirens from everywhere, and if Dick focused, he could spot every cry, every conversation, every little noise technology made, every story, everything. And instead of the gift this power was, being here, listening like this, it suddenly turned into a curse.

Madness this place was. There were nights when it made it felt like the end of the world with gunshots, screaming, bloodbath, sirens, explosions, people slaughtering each other, all for what, a good laugh.

His mind had drifted off so far, he could barely flinch when Jason moved closer.

Jason put his hand up, half grinning like a devil. “Ah, don’t you look at me like that. I just wanna see what you’re catching.”

“Stop joking around. You can hear it too.” Dick grunted.

“And that’s where you’re wrong. I listen because it’s my job. But Dickie, your power, such a gift wasn’t made for this.” He stepped closer, didn’t even budge, just lifted a brow up when Dick’s hand fisted and a blade came out.

“Oh now you’re just offending me. It’s rude to fight, we’re supposed to balance the world, not to pour more fire into this chaos.”

“Didn’t stop you from trying before.”

“You mean the kid?” Jason laughed. “Come on, he started it. A half-blood like that, I didn’t even sense any paradisal aspect from him. Tell me, can he even grow wings?”

Dick lashed out before Jason said more. And Jason expected it, the grin never left his lips when he summoned his scythe.

This shouldn’t be their routine, but it was.

“Come on, be serious. Show me your wings.”

“Not in your dreams.”

Dick pushed back, retreating his blades. Jason stood like he was waiting for more. He had always hungered for more. That was probably why Ras gave this city to him because no one could handle Gotham like Jason did, and no one could satisfy Jason like Gotham did.

Talia and Ras didn’t realize that, together, they had created a bigger threat than both of them could imagine, not until it was too late. But honestly, had she ever learned? Because quickly after Jason, she and Bruce knew how to make both Heaven and the Underworld shake with the birth of Damian.

Talk about chaos, were they, the immortals, really any different from these being under their guards?

Dick heaved a sigh and turned on his heels. He could feel Jason’s confusion splash on him, could feel him slowly turn angry, because when had he not?

“That’s’ it? You’re just gonna walk away? Like that?”

At this point, Jason sounded like he was ready to rip worlds apart. It must have been an easy night for him, with that much energy, he was dying to pour it all out on Dick.

Well, it might have been an easy night for him, but not for Dick. So before Jason could scream more, he spread his wings and flew away.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time they met Jason was on duty. A man was found dying in an apartment, kidnapped and murdered. But of course, he wasn’t there to deal with that. Soon enough, his clock ran out, and Jason grabbed and pulled his soul out of his body.

There was no second thought, no hesitation. The man looked dazed and frightened when seeing his own body lying lifeless in a pool of blood, and he himself was being grabbed by Jason, whose cloak was out, in his work uniform. Under the darkness of his hood, his eyes glowed with Hell’s fire, green and blade-sharp.

“Am I dead?” The man shook.

Without a word, Jason nodded. His palm spread, and his scythe was called. The man shrunk smaller under the appearance of the Reaper’s tool, giant and intimidating, with a curved blade, ripped bandages on the handle, and glowing runes of wisdom, words of choice.

_The wish, the relief, or the end._

Death, had always been just that simple.

Jason sprung his scythe, and tore the air. A cut was created, and a gate was called, the gate to Limbo, where judgments were made, to decide whether a soul would go to Heaven or down to Hell. Jason opened the door for the man, and waited.

He looked lost, frightened, and regretful. All of them looked like that when it was time. He looked back at his corpse, wishing it was a dream, then looked back at Jason and realized it was not. They always hesitated, always lingered, because it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

“What if I go to Hell?” The man asked, the everyday question Jason answered.

“That’s not my decision to make. But if you stay, you won’t be able to reincarnate.”

“So there is that thing.” The man huffed, dazed and uncertain. “But my life, my wife and kids. I’ve still got my wife and kids.”

Jason didn’t express anything, he just stood there, keeping the door open for the man. With his hood on, it was hard to see anything but his glowing eyes.

“If you stay, you’ll stay a ghost, and slowly, you’ll fade away, once you disappear, no reincarnation is possible anymore.”

“Who gives a damn about reincarnation, I need to be there for them. Without me, who would they‒ Please, my kids, my wife…”

“If you stay close to them in spiritual form, slowly, your soul will suck the life out of them. They’ll go weak and ill. Is that what you want?”

Desperation painted ugly on the man’s face. Tears started to shimmer in his eyes and he sobbed the most painful sounds.

Jason stepped aside, keeping the door open wider, and slowly, he urged the mortal forward.

“Go to Limbo, once there, your fate will be decided. The sooner you reincarnate, the sooner you’ll be in the same world with your kids and wife.”

That was, if he could reincarnate. If Hell chose him, his soul would serve the deserved sentence until the Court decided he was qualified to reincarnate. And even if he went to Heaven and passed all the blessings before his new life, his rebirth would be in another form, maybe in another country, another gender, and possibly he would never get to know his wife and kids anymore.

But of course, none of that should be told. Jason wasn’t technically lying, and if he did lie, he had the power to anyway. His job wasn’t to remain sacred and pure, his job was to the get the dead to Limbo, and guide souls down to Hell, in whatever way possible.

In the end, the man accepted. He took steps ahead, stopped abruptly to look back at his own corpse when Jason pressed behind him and stopped him midway.

“Don’t look.” He whispered. “The longer you linger, the harder it’ll be.”

And that was it. The man took one last step, down to the dark gate that greeted him. And just like that, Jason shut the door, waved his scythe, and cut the air. The crack closed, and the gate disappeared. Once the gate was closed, it would never be opened again.

All the changes happened swiftly, and then nothing was there, all that was left was an empty corpse, ready to be found. Dick didn’t know why he kept watching, didn’t know why his head didn’t immediately come up with an excuse when Jason appeared behind his back, walking out from the wind.

“Angel.” He greeted, the usual name, same mocking tone. He didn’t change back, his cloak floating around in the air like black smoke, ripped and worn out from centuries of serving. In the Underworld, the older your cloak the bigger your weapon, and the bigger your weapon, the more powerful you became. So far, Jason’s scythe beat every Reaper’s blade Dick had come across.

“Spying on me? The great head angel Richard? I’m honored.”

For Father’s sake, Dick wished him to just shut up.

“You’ve been busy lately.”

“It’s Gotham, I’m always busy. But you, the hell are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in ages and now suddenly you’re here twice in a week?”

Dick bit his lip, looking down and not at Jason staring at him. “Field study.”

Jason laughed, honest to god, laughed. He barked out the sound like Dick just told him a wicked joke.

“Field study? The only one that needs to get his sanctimonious ass down here and watch is Bruce.”

“Jason!” Dick hissed, scandalized.

“What? Is he even watching now? His dearest soldier is down here getting his wings all dirty while talking to a bloody Reaper like me‒”

“Oh for Heaven’s sake.” Dick ran out of patience. His feet were already on their way when Jason grabbed his arm and twisted him back.

“Don’t you turn your back on me. You watched me. You fucking watched me. You don’t get to watch then walk away when I actually pay some attention.”

Dick grunted and jerked his arm back. “I told you, field study. I’m not down here to play, and especially not to be your target so you can rain down your tantrum on Bruce.”

Jason stood still and slowly, his hand drew back and hung low. He didn’t try to reach out for Dick, and when he spoke again, it felt like Dick had done something wrong.

“So that’s it? Just work?”

Dick swallowed and nodded. “Just work.”

Jason looked hurt somehow, even when he was near invincible. Reapers’ powers were destructive, powerful and raw, that was why they were the guardians of the gates to the spirit world, and for the same reason they could never go up. Destruction was forbidden in Heaven, and Dominions like Dick were blessed with powers not to destroy, but to protect.

Jason looked away, and then down. Slowly, his cloak faded into dust, and his mortal vessel formed. Everything was the same, every line and edge on his face, every hair except for the white streaks, everything except for the clothes.

“That man,” He started after the uncomfortable silence they shared. “The man I just sent to Limbo. He’s going to Heaven. I can tell.”

And Dick believed him. Despite Bruce’s stubborn morals, Dick understood the right and wrong in Jason’s judgment.

“Thank you.”

Even when it wasn’t his job to bless the souls before reincarnating anymore, it hadn’t been for a long time, but still, Dick didn’t know how to bid a goodbye before leaving.

  

* * *

 

 

The day Dick led the carriages down to take the souls the whole of Limbo was there. The reincarnation ceremony was always the biggest event of this world, a glorified day for the good and humble ones to go to Heaven, to receive the Angels' blessing, then to step into the lake of their reformation of a new life, a new start.

It had been years since Jason had seen Dick in his full form. Through the clad of his golden armor, with silver swords in his hands, he could feel Jason’s eyes piercing through him, somewhere hidden in the crowd. He knew how to be invisible, how to draw himself away from all the fame and attention, even when Grim Reaper was an honorable title that only worthy souls could ever deserve. Reapers couldn’t be made, but had to be chosen.

Father had his way of doing things, and sometimes even his blood children like Dick couldn’t understand him.

The other Angels following him landed on the pillars circling the hall, but Dick flew down toward it, landing right on the rock in front of the blind of the waterfall, the water source that came all the way from Heaven, reaching through the clouds that could never be seen all the way from down here. He let his wings swipe and dip down in the water, felt the gold flakes fall from them and dust the air. In the light of the sun Clark created, his feathers shone a milky white, with rainbows reflecting on them every time they moved like sunlight on water.

Bruce once told him, too long ago, when he had still been too little and frequently got knocked down on his ass by the weight of his own heavy wide wings, that angel’s wings represented their power and responsibility. The bigger and wider they were, the more you took after Father, and the more gifted you were. And he also remembered himself growing up looking after Bruce’s thick wings like some kind of honorific symbol of power and glory. 

The older he got, the more those words faded into nothing in the back of his mind.

Once Dick took the first step on the water, the whole of Limbo bowed, and there he was, standing tall and still. Jason looked straight at him in the eyes, no hiding, no hesitation, in the middle of the bowing crowd, he stayed on his feet with his head held high.

Arrogant, but proud. Grim Reapers may be less noble than Angels, but they were never any less powerful.

The other Reapers stood up first, slowly turning into their true selves and walking out, ready to begin the ceremony. Jason followed them, eyes never leaving Dick. With each step he took, his form revealed, his robe, long coat with the hood on, and a belt carved with the symbol of a four-horned goat skull, the sigil of Hell. It had always been a subject for Heaven to chat, how Reapers chose their forms so alike to human’s outfits. Probably because they were the closest ones to the mortal world, they watched over them, collecting souls, guiding them to Limbo, or to Hell. Their job bound them to the human world, to their lives, and maybe, it was the Reapers who understood Father’s creation the most.

Jason spread out his palm, calmly walked to the middle of the hall, and fire burst and blazed on his hand, powerful and beautiful. His scythe morphed out from the flame, giant and ancient-looking, reaching way over the top of Jason’s large form, with its blade curved and bigger than even a person.

This was merely a half of his real form, but in Limbo, due to respect to the deceased, no spiritual workers revealed their true appearances, as their looks could be quite a shock for humans sometimes.  

Jason walked towards Dick, face stoic and cold. For a moment, Dick held his breath. Everybody was watching them.

Dick stepped forward, raising his wings and folded them against his back. The tails of them swiped the ground, drawing lines of runes following his steps, until he stopped.

It had been thousands of years since they first met. Jason had grown up to be such a fine man, if Dick was a frightened soul trying to escape from Limbo and back to the land of living, if he came to the gate and met Jason, he would definitely run back twice as fast. There was always something about Reapers that drew other’s breath away, maybe not as holy as Angels, but notably more imposing than Demons.

That was probably due to their serving, their course was always human and human only. Sacred workers of Hell but their loyalty never lay there. These gatekeepers had always been a mysterious puzzle Father casted down for none to solve.  

Dick drew his swords on both sides, drawing more runes on the ground. The letters ran up, flowing in the air after the tips of his weapons, and when he crossed them together and hit the ground fire burst into life in every cauldron around the hall.

“Let’s the ceremony begin.”

 

There was no speech, no personal message, only instruction and information. Soon enough, the other angels led the souls into the carriages that would bring them to Heaven. Three million five hundred and forty-eight souls in total they collected this month and among all of them Dick recognized the man Jason had guided the last time they had met. He looked at ease this time, no confusion, no regret. He even seemed happy.

It was good, it was what Limbo was supposed to do to them, ease their minds, get them ready. That was why this place had always been so peaceful, so humble looking, so close to the naked nature of the living world, with rivers and mountains, forests and fields, open markets and villages where the souls lived the time they had among the spirit world’s sacred workers.

Jason lived here too, when he wasn’t busy collecting souls and doing his duties down in Hell.

It had been long since Dick last visited this place, too long for him to even remember.

When the carriages left and the Angels flew up to Heaven, Dick stayed back. He hid his wings and morphed himself into a humbler presence. A cloak should be good enough to keep all the attention off him. Dick was confident so as he marched to the edge of the market and watched people doing their trades down in the shadow of a tree. No money in Limbo, as so for every level of the spirit world, because money was a creation of one of the seven sins. The people here traded objects, fruits, vegetables, any supplies they had to each other. Food wasn’t a necessity in the land of death, but eating was a joy no one should be stripped of.

Watching these innocent souls living like they had, or should have in their own world, only simpler and carefree, made Dick happy.

“You love watching them.”

Jason walked closer from behind and sat down next to him. He had changed back to a more suitable attire as well, but Dick doubted that could ever actually work. The only ones that could wear black in Limbo were Grim Reapers, and Reapers always wore black when they were out.

An apple was suddenly pressed towards Dick’s face, and Jason huffed when Dick was caught off guard enough to look surprised.

Dick took it with an awkward nod of gratitude. His fingers lightly brushed Jason’s when taking the apple.

“I heard there’s an apple tree up there, in Heaven.” Jason said, eyes looked away and towards the market.

“Tim told you?”

“Yeah, he’s down here frequently enough. Unlike somebody.” Jason’s eyes glanced at him, and Dick ducked himself further into the shadow of the cloak to not face him.

“We have a garden. Many trees are grown there.”

Jason just kept on looking at him, as if he was unsatisfied with Dick’s answer, as if he was waiting for him to say something else.

They stayed silent, until time felt like thin air, passing by without even the slightest notice. It was hard for immortals sometimes because time had never meant much to them. What could be a lifetime for a human being, for them, it was just a day passing by.

“Who’s on watch today?”

Jason suddenly asked. Dick’s answer came out like a huff of breath.

“Tim.”

Without any further words, a smile crept onto Jason’s lips when his head fell on Dick’s shoulder. They sat closer than before, sides pressed together.

Their hands, different in every way, in size, color, power, but still, they found a way to be entangled. 

  

* * *

 

 

When Dick burst through the door and marched inside, Harley was more than ready to bail.

“Okay, I’m out of here.” Was all she said before disappearing behind black smoke. The devils around looked as paled as if they had been sprayed with holy water, falling off the desks and onto their asses when Dick walked over in fury, catching the front of a devil’s shirt and hissing in his face. 

“I need a word with the Lord.”

All he got was a shaky finger pointing to the door before the devil’s mouth actually foamed and the green light in his eyes flickered weakly.

Dick grunted and pushed him down on the floor. Devils, they were so weak in front of an Angel’s presence, not to mention a high-ranking Angel like Dick, as if their auras were poison in their lungs.

Behind his desk, with a glass of wine in front of his face, Ras seemed bored and annoyed when he saw Dick stride his way into the room like a tornado. He was already rubbing his temples before Dick even began speaking.

“First,” Ras raised a hand to stop Dick. “I don’t control him, out of all the Reapers, he’s always been a wild card. Second, he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“A man was clocked out before his true fate because some Reaper waved his scythe and made the decision. That was the third case this year, from _one_ Reaper. And you say nothing is wrong?”

Ras’s eyes turned his head up and glared at Dick. They had never liked each other, but they were the ones to help keep the world balanced.

“Hell is to punish and repent, not to encourage wrong doing.”

“Don’t speak moral to me, boy. I’ve been seated on this chair since far before you even learned how to flap your wings. All of you up there, listening to God’s orders and pretending to watch but do you actually see?” He touched his glass, and looked at Dick through the red liquid with an intense eye. “Worthy or not, Heaven or Hell, what if _He_ was the one who wrongs?”

Dick stomped over in fury, slamming his hands down on the desk and facing Ras close enough for him to only see the blue of his eyes.

“You do not speak of Father that way.”

Ras only stared back at him. His eyes, dead black like ink, tired and old, but the shape of them never ceased to frighten others.

“The light of _Him_ is strong in you, boy. But not all of us are the same, some souls deserve to be down here, so others can stay living, even when it is against the rules.”

“You don’t know that.” Dick hissed. “It’s Father’s decision to make.”

“Balancing the world, keeping it in order, that’s our jobs, isn’t it? But how many souls have gone down here when millions went up there? It’s not a sign of solitaire for this crazy world, Angel.” Ras shook his head. “You know it, deep down in you. And it has been biting inside you, that the millions you bless, were all just casualties of the few that went down here.”

“Ask yourself, what if the world is unbalancing itself? What if it’s killing itself and all of us mighty are just here, watching it burn while waiting for God’s guidance.”

Ras pulled on Dick’s coat, smoothing an old wrinkled hand down the cloth. “Tell me, boy. Do you really trust your Father enough to let him write what is wrong or what is right?”

Dick grunted, smacking Ras’ hand away. He never liked this man, and Ras always had his way to crawl himself into others’ minds in a not very pleasant way.

Bruce might have put up a fight, Ras might have enjoyed a fight. But Dick was not Bruce, and he had no intention of satisfying the old Lord of Hell’s need in seeking chaos. That was probably why the man hated Dick so much. Bruce would have explained and made a speech, entertaining the man, but Dick, Dick would just be himself and shove a “No.” to him.

Unlike Bruce, Dick knew Hell’s way of seeing the world, understood their own conception of saving the world by wiping it all and starting fresh, he was just stubborn enough to not let it happen.

Dick was already heading out the door when Ras called, hands stomped down on both sides of the desk, hair long and pooling down around his shoulder, blending in with the grey of his beard. In that green coat, he looked like an old vulture and wasn’t that a perfect symbol for death.

“You’re _His_ favorite, so ask _Him_. Did He create us to be obedient or to protect life?”

 

Dick didn’t like Ras, didn’t like how he could be so right sometimes.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Do not resent yourself for how I have made you to be.”_

_Dick pouted, looking back into the moose’s eyes and then down to the water of the fountain. Sunlight patted his head, and he felt Father’s warmth toy with his hair before a bird landed down next to where he was sitting, singing. Caged in a child’s form, newly born and inexperienced, too pure to learn, and yet, to know, Dick hated how he looked different from his brothers and sisters._

_In the garden, Father found him staring down at his reflection on the water, frowning at the wings that were different from Bruce’s, his mentor._

_Four. Bruce had four. Why didn’t he have four?_

_“Cherish the life I give you, my child, no matter how different it is from others.”_

_The light warmed his wings, next to him, the moose sat down._

_“I don’t live, Father. I can’t die.” Dick pouted again, but all he heard was Father’s laughter._

_“You can’t die, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live, Richard.” Father smiled, even when it wasn’t in any certain shape, Dick could still feel it by the wind, and the light. “And just like us, down there,” The fountain glowed, showing Dick Limbo, where Reapers were gathering for a ceremony. “Them too, if we can live, then they can die.”_

_“Reapers?” Dick squealed. “But they are gods, just like us.”_

_“Sometimes, dying doesn’t necessarily come in the form of decease. They’re the gods of Death, and for that, they must be able to know how it feels to die. They’re powerful, and power can come with consequences when you have no sympathy. So, I gave them desires and feelings, so they can die too, so they can understand the value of the souls they guide, or the lives they are capable of taking.”_

_“Take lives?” Dick asked, rolling himself in Father’s embrace of light. “But isn’t that only your decision to make?”_

_And Father just smiled again._

_“It is, still, I gave them the power too. Because when the hard time comes, it takes more than one hand to write what is right, or what is wrong.”_

 

That night, they immediately fought at first sight. Lightning struck down at every wave of Dick’s swords. He was furious, and Jason did nothing to tame him but instead fueled his rage more. Father’s old words came back to his mind, faded and flickering like a ghost.

“Finally!” Jason barked through the grit of his sharp teeth, lips grinning madly wide when raising his scythe. The blade hit the ground and tore it apart.

They got too lost in themselves, didn’t even care to hide anything anymore. The field they chose to put on the mass of their brawl was far away from civilization, empty and wide, Dick spread his wings to their full size, all of them, and flew up to strike down thunder and lightning, knocking down trees from around and having them burst into flames.

Jason’s laughter only got bigger and louder. Flesh and skin melted from his face after the waves of Dick’s power, his real form revealed, and he made his enjoyment obvious. He wielded his scythe, gathering flames and blowing it all at Dick.

At this point, even when they were invisible to mortal eyes, humans must know the gods were angry. Jason’ eyes were burning with Hell’s fire, all the grass around him turned ill and dark, until there was nothing but ashes. With each contact their weapons made, air broke and light cracked. Everything around them was in flames, Jason was burning himself. Black and red, dark coat and robe hovering and floating around, he looked at Dick through the hood, so close they were both breathing each other’s air. His scythe was deadly, his strikes were true, but up this close, staring into each other’s eyes, the God of Death didn’t have a bit of fury.

Dick hated how this was how they had always been. Fighting, hurting, because this was how they were supposed to be. Heaven and Hell, Reapers and Angels, they were two sides of a coin, different, but the same.

“We’re doing it all again, aren’t we Angel?”

He knew it, why wouldn’t he? He knew Dick would be furious for the souls he took against the laws, knew Dick would come down by himself to talk him back to his senses. After all these years, perhaps he had finished waiting and now craved an excuse to meet again.

Father was right, Reapers could die, because they felt too much, just like humans. And had Dick always been this cruel to him? Making him wait and fueling his hope only to wait for more.   

Dick grunted and laughed, dropping his swords down in the burning grass. He felt Jason storm towards him, but he had lost the will to fight. In the end, he had already known it from the start, that he was merely acting like this for the sake of the morals Bruce loved so much, and he, himself was craving to meet Jason again.

His hand reached out, and when Jason got close enough, just enough, Dick pulled on his coat and smacked his lips to the stained teeth of the skull that was Jason’s face. Everything about him was hot, burning, just like always.

In a moment, Jason closed his eyes and pressed them even closer, but then the next, he pushed Dick’s shoulders away.

“What are you doing? He might‒”

“He won’t.” Dick said bitterly, desperately. “He hasn’t been on watch for a long time, Jason.”

Jason stared at him, the skull that was his face furrowed and frowning. And then in a swift moment, he was kissing Dick back twice as hard, and three times as desperate. His scythe slid out of his hand carelessly as he now clutched at Dick’s waist and hugged his shoulder, the tip of its blade pierced down into the ground at the end of its fall, right next to Dick’s silver swords.

A Reaper’s kiss would take a life, an Angel’s kiss would bring a life. And here they were now, kissing each other like two sides of the coin, so different, but inseparable.

When Jason laid him down on the burned grass, Dick shrugged himself into his mortal vessel, but retained his wings. Jason always loved his eyes, as some kind of symbol that his love came from the core, that it stayed strong and unwavering, no matter their differences. It was like he was trying to spit in Father’s face and tell him he would love Dick anyway.

When his robe had faded into gold dust, revealing only naked skin, Dick’s hands found flesh when they touched Jason’s face. Jason had also morphed into his human vessel. Slowly, his robe and coat turned into black smoke, and dissolved into thin air.

“I love you.” Was all he said.

And “I love you.” Was all Dick answered.

They kissed again, but this time it felt different. In human vessels, everything felt a thousand times stronger. Everything was a shock, and Dick shook when their skins slid on each other like they were meant to be.

It was wrong to say gods couldn’t feel. Gods had feelings, and gods could love. Because it wasn’t something that could be molded, it was something that came naturally, like the hair growing on their heads, like a thought crossing through their minds. As Angels, many sins they couldn’t touch, many desires they couldn’t feel, but Father gave love to them, because there was nothing wrong with love.

No limits, no rules. If you understood it right, love had always been just that humble and pure.

But humans, they made everything different, with desires and sins, needs and wants, as if it was food with spices in it. They made love surprisingly electric and passionate.

They could only do this in human form, and for that, Dick forever envied this species. Angels may love, but they couldn’t feel lust. Unlike Reapers who spent their eternity of serving close to humans, lust, sins, desires, they had it all. Angels were children of God, love was in Dick’s blood, but that was all.

 

“Angel.” Jason called. He wasn’t mocking anymore, the same nickname, but endearing.

“Angel.”

Dick shivered at his voice, felt his kiss and warm breath coat his neck. His hands, the hands of Death, caressed Dick’s skin so tenderly. Dick wrapped his wings around them, felt the muscles on Jason’s back flex like waves of the ocean on every feather.

His hands smoothed down his chest, felt every inch of his skin. Jason stared at him, eyes green like Hell’s fire, but the way he was looking at Dick made the earth quake.

The whole time, he called Dick names, angel, Richard, and Dick, like the time they met in the living land and Jason had joked and given him that name. It was slang, he had explained, and Jason had served for far too long to not get familiar with the human’s culture.

As if Dick ever cared. To him, every word Jason used on him, at this moment, felt like a love song.  

He lifted Dick’s thighs up, and forced them to wrap around his waist. They both sighed when he dove in, lightning struck and ripped the sky, the earth rumbled, and winds blew.

They had always been close, but now, they were connected.

 

“Jason.” Dick called breathily. And Jason did nothing but touch his face.

“I’m here, angel.” He tucked back a lock that had fallen into Dick’s eye. Dick touched his skin, felt his heat, his muscles, the power that ran beneath them.

Jason started moving. Dick heard his breath losing its steady rhythm, felt the heat of Jason burning inside him. Lightning cracked around them, waves then waves of them, piercing the ground and adding more to the raging fire they were lying in the center of.

Their bodies were so compatible, as if they were born to be like this. Dick felt Jason’s hand on his when he pulled the Reaper in and kissed him. Despite his appearance, his grudges and his raw strength and power, Jason was all about gentleness and care. He touched every feather as if memorizing it, held Dick’s hand and kissed it as if asking for permission.

Maybe this softness had been in his core since the very beginning, buried and hidden underneath the intimidating appearance of a Grim Reaper. Or maybe it was just Dick, it was just him that was special enough for Jason to treat this way.

For tonight, Dick didn’t care. As if all the responsibilities were now burned into ashes by the flames that surrounded them. In the center, holding onto each other, Dick wished this was how they could always be.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time Dick visited Limbo, Jason was sitting on a rock in his field, entertaining the kids of the village with the sparkling butterflies he made from the dark smoke. In his normal attire, even with the giant scythe resting on his back, Jason looked oddly humble and adoring.

“Angel!” A kid screamed, a tiny finger pointed out, and immediately, all of them ran over towards Dick like a herd of ducklings.

Children, their souls were always so pure and sensitive they could easily pick up the presence of a high level spiritual creature close by.

Dick picked a girl up and spread his wings out just to hear them all giggle in amazement.

“You’re taking all of the spotlight again.” Jason walked over, picking a piece of straw and putting it between his teeth. His scythe hung high and mighty behind his back, blade sharp, threatening to tear apart the sky.

He must have just gotten back from work.

“Mr. Angel, can you fly?” The girl against his chest suddenly asked, and who was Dick to deny such cuteness.

He flew her close to the clouds, all the way to the top of the mountains and back, picking fruit from the high up trees, and wild flowers that were still cold and wet from the snow. She was happy and by the time Dick got her back to the ground, everybody was asking him to fly them too.

When Dick finished with the last kid, it was already high noon. The whole time, Jason sat silently, patiently on the rock, watching them.

“Alright kids, let’s get back to your cabin. Remember what Old Nan makes today?”

“Stew beef and tomato bombs!” They all yelled.

Jason chuckled and snapped his fingers. Black smoke curled up from the ground, wrapping around the kids and every little giggling face, and then in a swift moment, they were all sent back. The field was left empty with Dick and Jason standing like statues, looking at each other’s faces.

From here, if Dick turned back, he could spot Jason’s cabin, old and simple looking but it was just the look, inside, he had it all. A nice kitchen with glass windows to get all the sunlight, a big oven that must be barely used because he was busy in the living land all the time, one huge guest room that he once invited all the other Reapers to for some beers and business chat. And one nice bedroom with a bed so soft and covers so warm, Dick could still remember lying in them, in the hold of Jason’s arms, and counting down the time he had left before going back up to Heaven.

When Jason held his hand, when he pulled it and guided him, Dick mindlessly let him lead the steps to the cabin, and then inside, to the living room where he had already memorized everything. Jason had a coffee machine over in the corner, right next to the pillar, and a mug that had a red skull on it on the counter. He had a guitar, hanging somewhere on the walls, or sometimes it could be down on the couch. He even once snuck Titus into Limbo and shrunk the hell hound into a normal dog size to fit into the place.

That was a good memory. Damian missed Titus, maybe Dick should let someone take the kid down to Hell for a trip next time. Hell’s citizens couldn’t go to Heaven, but Angels were always the exception, they went wherever they wanted, wherever they were needed, and that could be anywhere.

Everywhere.

Anytime.                 

Responsibilities.

 

“I’m taking over Heaven.” Dick said, feeling the missing weight of his wings behind his back. He had hidden them back when walking in to fit through the door.

Jason looked at him like he had said something wrong or hadn’t even said anything at all.

“What?” He shuddered, his hand slipped out of Dick’s.

A Reaper shuddering, that was odd. Dick had thought he could only pull that out of him when they were having sex in human form.

“I’m taking over Heaven.” Dick repeated. “It’s not huge news to everyone, up there at least. They’ve been taking orders from me for almost a millennium. Some of them even seemed overjoyed, actually. I don’t know how to feel about that.”

“How to feel about that?” Jason spat. “You, taking over Heaven?”

Suddenly, he stepped back. A few strides of his feet like someone had hit him hard.

Jason had never looked this frightened, this lost during a fight. He, the great and powerful Grim Reaper, the gate’s keeper, the watcher. He, who redefined God’s words and fell in love with an Angel.

“Yes.” Dick smiled, didn’t know why his action made Jason’s face twist and change like he was pierced by Heaven’s blades, as if his body was vulnerable to Dick’s words and actions.

“No.” He said, shaking his head. “Was it Bruce? Did that fucking sanctimonious asshole force you to do this?”

“No. Jason, no.” Dick desperately wanted to cry but couldn’t. Jason didn’t deserve this, he deserved a reaction, a colorful one. Dick wished he was human, wished he could feel things as strongly as them.

“Bullshit!” Jason screamed. For a moment, Dick thought his control had snapped and Jason would have turned back to his true form. “He made you do this! He made you. Is that why you suddenly come down here so often? Is that why you were on fields study?” Jason didn’t leave a single second out for Dick to explain. “You’re not even trying and yet you’ve already done better than that fucking asshole. He must think this is funny, huh? Throwing this all to you, what has got into his head, huh? He was addicted to that chair and that fucking fountain or whatever you guys up use up there to talk to God. He was fucking addicted to it!”

He must have spent too much time with Roy again. For Heaven’s sake, Roy was an Arch Angel, not one to go back and forth carrying messages like this. That was Tim’s job, Tim and his fiery wheels.

He suddenly strode over and grabbed Dick’s shoulders, jerking him back and forth with shaky hands like he was trying to shake some sense into him. He looked so serious, tense, but serious.

“Tell him no.”

“Jaso‒”

“NO!” He shouted. “Tell him no. Please, Dick. Tell him no.”

“I can’t!”

Jason looked dazed, confusion painted on his face. “Wh ‒ what?”

“Bruce left, Jason. He left for Father… and I don’t know… I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

He was just gone one day, leaving Heaven and the sake of all other worlds to Dick’s hands. Father’s chair had been left empty for approximately a century. Since then, Bruce had taken over Heaven, baring his shoulders and making decisions for him. And now, he had left too, leaving Dick alone and lonely with the destiny that had been set for him.  

Jason stayed silent. Either was he amazed or caught off guard by the news, he didn’t show much. Just after a moment, slowly, calmly, he spoke. “I don’t care.”

Dick huffed out a bitter laugh. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Do I know what I’m saying? Do you know what you’re saying!” His hands slid down, curling around Dick’s arms until they were holding hands. Such sweetness, Dick would miss it. “You know well the price to be a Seraphim. You’ll only serve Heaven and Heaven alone, you won’t be able to come down to Limbo or the land of the living anymore!”

Or Hell. Because a top choir Angel’s presence would destroy Hell with the light of their presence.

Jason couldn’t go up from the places he served. And Dick couldn’t go down from the place where he stayed.

How could Dick not know what that meant? After all, it was in his destiny, in the way Father had made him, with six wings instead of four like he usually showed. And if his destiny wrote down their parting, then Dick could only follow it.

Farther wasn’t cruel like Hell usually joked, nor was he merciful like the mortals constantly praised. He was just Father.

Too wise, too powerful. And neither made him cruel or merciful, they made him unpredictable.

 

Dick raised his hands, with Jason’s still in his and touched his face. “Show me yourself.”

Jason looked back at him in question, but he didn’t oppose. Soon, the skin on Dick’s fingers started to melt, his clothes started to fade, black smoke spread out, hugging his whole form. Dick would miss this feeling, touching the edges of his coat, looking into the darkness of his hood, running his fingers on the hard cold skull that always looked at him so endearingly, with Hell’s fire burning in the hollow of his eyes.

Jason’s real form was always larger, broader, more intimidating looking. He wrapped his arms around Dick, pulling him close, until Dick could feel nothing but the molten heat of the great Reaper, and the hardness of Jason’s large belt pressing to his chest.

With gloved fingers caressing his cheek, Dick looked back at him, at the face of his lover, to memorize this moment of being intimate, of being so close. He wanted to remember, to carve it into his mind. Jason’s hold, Jason’s heat, Jason’s way of tenderly touching him, Dick wanted it all.

“Stay with me, stay with me forever.”

“They need me. The worlds need me.”

“Forget the worlds. Forget everything. You’re an angel… my angel.”

And forever, he shall be.

“Why can’t it be anyone else, but you?” Jason’s voice came out broken, a low whisper of wind and death.

Dick touched his hand, running his fingers to feel the hem of his long sleeve, then to the middle of his chest. Dick pressed his palm through the open coat, onto the robe, felt Jason’s chest, where his body was cold and hot at the same time. Through Heaven’s eyes, Dick could see, the vivid red of Jason’s flame, burning in his chest, fueling his destructive power.

Through Dick’s silence, Jason had figured it out. “The kid. He doesn’t have wings, does he?”

Dick could only smile, cheek rested where Jason’s chest burned the most.

It was easier this way than thinking about Damian’s ill fate. Where would he be, what would he do? Father didn’t created him, Bruce and Talia did, and now the poor boy, half-blood and confused, got caught on the line crossed between two worlds. Heaven or Hell, Angels or Demons, either where or what, he didn’t belong.

Dick wished Father was here, wished He’d have given something else more than a smile or whispers of encouragement that he himself could figure it all out. 

Maybe Dick could. But it seemed so hard, doing it all alone like this.

“Angel.” Jason called, lifting Dick’s chin up and looked at him in the eyes.

It seemed only fair if Dick stripped for him too, so he did. His wings were too big they knocks things off inside the room, feathers flew everywhere, milky white blended in with the ash black of Jason’s presence. It was one of the rare times Dick showed his true form, but for Jason, he would do it all.

Jason touched his chest, his neck, his waist, the small of his back. He closed his eyes and shut the flames in them, laying their foreheads together.

He kissed Dick’s nose, his cheeks, his lips. Even with no flesh, his touches were gentle and warm, just like the way he had always been.

“I’ll wait for you.” He breathed, so close, so endearing, yet, he said the words like he wanted Dick to seriously carve them into his mind. His words, his promise, the promise in their parting.

“I’ll wait for you. Even for a million years, even when Hell breaks and Heaven falls, even when the sun dies and worlds collapse, until we find each other again. I’ll be waiting right here, so anytime you look down, you’ll see, my love for you is eternal.”

Their hand found each other again, interlocked, like how their fate had always been. Dick looked at him how they always had. Two sides of a coin, but facing each other.

“And even for a millions years, even when Hell breaks and Heaven falls, even when the sun dies and worlds collapse, I’ll still be watching down on you.”

 

So they kissed, not for the first time, but hopefully, not for the last time. Entangled, as who they were, as what they were, no hiding, naked and different, but still, they was how they loved each other.

So they kissed, before Dick’s wings covered his face and the light from his other four came taking him away from his Reaper’s embrace. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**_10 years later._ **

 

“You’ve talked to Father.”

Kate looked at him, her eyes the color of fire. Her wings clipped, head bowed as Dick walked over.

Up upon the sky, she flew down, all of her eyes closed, a sign of an honorable greeting only a Cherubim like her could give. His face was no longer for everyone to see, hidden behind the fold of his wings, but his eyes were clearer than ever, as they should have always been. He could see her watching him, could see that like everyone else, she missed the sight of his eyes.

“I did.” Dick smiled.

“What did Father say?”

Familiar words, familiar advise. _“Be patient, my child.”_

 

From here, next to the gate of Eden and the fountain of the worlds, looking down to the water, his vision reached beyond worlds, down to the land of the living. Everything spread out, human’s world, Limbo, Hell, the dark places that lied in between the edges of the spirit worlds, where lost souls tried to flee and never made it back. He saw human pray, saw them slaughter each other, love each other, live and die with each other, conquer the world and then tried saving it, passionate and lively, flawed but beautiful, all in that one tiny world of theirs. And then Limbo, peaceful and quiet, humble and pure, with children running through the fields, open markets and bonfires from villages, music and nature, trees and mountains.   

“He couldn’t see you.” Kate said, floating near him.

Dick smiled back, and shifted his vision. “No, he couldn’t.”

Just a bit away from the village, located alone and isolated, in the wide field and back facing the mountains, a familiar cabin came into his view.

“But he knows I can see him.”

On a rock, in the middle of the field, a Grim Reaper sat. His eyes looked up at the sky full of stars, a kiss landed on the tips of his fingers, and up, they were sent towards the sky.

With a soft smile and eyes of Hell’s fire, even when a world away, a kiss from Death was sent to Heaven.

 

 

 

_Even for a million years, even when Hell breaks and Heaven falls, even when the sun dies and worlds collapse, until we find each other again._

_My love for you is eternal._

**END.**  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, I hope you enjoyed this. Just here to remind you that no matter what's happening in your life, you're a beautiful soul and deserve all the best!  
> You can also find me at [here](http://moonfox281.tumblr.com/) . I take prompt and write stupid quotes as well, so if you want to make friend or have something to ask, be my guest. Have a lovely day ;)


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